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School of Public Policy and Leadership News

The School of Public Policy and Leadership employs an interdisciplinary approach to create knowledge and understanding to support effective policy and governance through collaborations of faculty, students, and the greater community. Our programs enable students to master the key principles of public management, research, and public policy so they can spark change, improvement, and resiliency in communities.

Current Public Policy and Leadership News

Ashley Pruitt graduates with a Doctorate of Public Policy at commencement.
Business and Community |

Alumna Ashley Pruitt credits Doctorate of Public Policy degree for teaching her how to reach legislators — and their constituents.

A view of Greenspun Hall at UNLV. In the background, the surrounding area of Las Vegas is visible, with mountains in the distance.
Campus News |

The Doctor of Public Policy prepares students to develop policy decisions for a growing state

Fall colors 2025
Campus News |

Some of the biggest news headlines featuring UNLV faculty and students.

A group of students play with legos on a shared large desk.
Campus News |

In this Urban Affairs class, students learn the community-building skills they'll need to overcome work and personal challenges in the future. 

June campus horizon shot
Campus News |

The top headlines featuring UNLV’s staff and students.

Spring flowers
Campus News |

The students and faculty of UNLV are springing into headlines around the country.

Public Policy and Leadership In The News

Nashville Scene

For a project billing itself as “express public transportation,” little about The Boring Company’s proposed Music City Loop follows the traditional playbook. State officials, including Gov. Bill Lee, have promoted the tunneling project as fast, privately financed and built without taxpayer dollars. Critics argue that the framing may be misleading and question whether the proposed Loop project functions as public transit at all.

The Cool Down

An image showing dozens of private jets clustered at a Las Vegas airport was shared in the r/vegaslocals subreddit recently, quickly catching attention as users tried to make sense of the sudden surge in luxury air traffic. The post asked, "Why so many private jets? What's going on in the city?" Commenters agreed that a crowd of private jets could mean a major conference, high-profile sporting event, or entertainment event was drawing wealthy visitors into town.

WalletHub

’Tis the season for giving, and the latest World Giving Index shows that the United States is the sixth most generous country in the world. U.S. donors in 2024 still gave over $592 billion to charity, with 66% of the funds coming directly from individuals, according to Giving USA.

The Cool Down

Regulators have hit Elon Musk's The Boring Company with fines for almost 800 different environmental violations they said have taken place as part of the company's Las Vegas tunneling project, ProPublica reported.

Nevada Independent

Nevada state regulators have accused Elon Musk’s Boring Co. of violating environmental regulations nearly 800 times in the last two years as it digs a sprawling tunnel network beneath Las Vegas for its Tesla-powered “people mover.” The company’s alleged violations include starting to dig without approval, releasing untreated water onto city streets and spilling muck from its trucks, according to a new document obtained by City Cast Las Vegas and ProPublica.

ProPublica

Nevada state regulators have accused Elon Musk’s Boring Co. of violating environmental regulations nearly 800 times in the last two years as it digs a sprawling tunnel network beneath Las Vegas for its Tesla-powered “people mover.” The company’s alleged violations include starting to dig without approval, releasing untreated water onto city streets and spilling muck from its trucks, according to a new document obtained by City Cast Las Vegas and ProPublica.

Public Policy and Leadership Experts

An expert on local government and public policy. 
An expert on HR management and development.
An expert in public policy and governance.
An expert in regional demographics, workforce development, and sustainable economic development.
An expert on sustainability governance by cities, states, and corporations globally.
Lee Bernick is a professor with expertise in state and local public policy, survey research, public budgeting, and legislative behavior.

Recent Public Policy and Leadership Accomplishments

Ashlee Frandell (Public Policy), Aya Shata (Journalism and Media Studies), and Drew Blasco (Public Health) were awarded the iRDA Sustainability in Arid Lands Funding grant to support research on local county governments' adoption of AI, focusing on challenges, resource limitations, and strategies to enable effective and responsible…
Aya Shata (Journalism and Media Studies) and Ashlee Frandell (Public Policy) were awarded the iRDA Creative Media, Entertainment, and Cultural Industries Funding Competition to support research examining public communications professionals’ trust in generative AI and its influence on communication practices in the government sector.
Benjamin Leffel's (Public Policy and Leadership) TEDx talk, "Cities & corporations vs. climate," has been published, offering a rethinking of climate action from the bottom-up, and across sectors
Jaewon Lim and Aaron Collette (Public Policy and Leadership), along with Euijune Kim (a former visiting scholar to UNLV) recently published an article in the Growth and Change journal titled, "Human Capital and Regional Resilience: Nevada Computable General Equilibrium Approach." In this study, they …
Ashley Noel Pruitt (Medicine; Public Policy), associate director of technical assistance and policy for the Behavioral Health Education, Retention, and Expansion Network of Nevada (BeHERE NV), was recognized this month by the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs at UNLV. Pruitt is a doctorate candidate in the School of Public Policy and Leadership (…
Vicky Albert (Social Work), Jaewon Lim, and Daeyoung Kwon (both Public Policy and Leadership) recently published an article in the Sustainability Journal. In their article "Geographic Analysis of Four Social Safety Nets’ Responsiveness to the Pandemic Recession and Social Sustainability," they investigate…